Forum: Prospective Challenges

Discussing: Great Books of M-e, or Where are the authors of M-e?

Great Books of M-e, or Where are the authors of M-e?

Proposed on list in honor of Marta volunteering to assist in Challenges:

Middle-earth had some literary cultures (Arnor, Gondor, the Noldorin kingdoms, post-Daeron Doriath, Númenor, the Shire, Erebor and Khazad-dûm). Sometimes, we do know the names of authors and/or works (Merry and his book on herbs, Barahir as the author of the Tale of Aragorn and Arwen, Pengolodh, Bilbo himself and Frodo) but otherwise, we don't have much by way of cultural landmarks other than wars or largely oral tradition poets.

So, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to *make* M-e some authors. What would they take as their inspiration? What would be their historical context? What would be their relation with the reigning authorities? What would be the issues of the day that drove them, irked them, intrigued them, etc?

Give the authors of Middle-earth a voice!

Re: Great Books of M-e, or Where are the authors of M-e?

This is a very good challenge idea, Dwim. I love how it would get us to the core of the cultures involved, and I like all the different themes that we'd be able to research for it. I am sitting here, wondering what have you been reading that prompted this wonderful idea I love it!

But, I am not yet sure how to go about it. Somehow I cannot picture the royal scribe sitting at the feet of Denethor's black chair *shudders*... Writing, and early writing systems in general seem to have been closely associated with religion, but I'd be *very* afraid of stepping into that subject in M-e, and I cannot enter into that mindframe of early cultures recording crops and such... But, I'll keep looking because I may be alreday bitten by this, and it could be about any author without a specific time-frame, so it's broad enough to allow for many different subjects. Would they write about phylosophy, mythology, geography? Would they make star charts, land treatises, botany? Númenor seems to be a very good subject, and just writing about their history would be good enough, or record inventions and such... Oh, so many possibilities!

Like I said, I love this idea, Dwim. What would be the time frame for it? The usual three months? Could it be a bit longer?

And, I hope that this becomes a chance for you to give us more of Carandir and Amandil the lesser... Come on, you know you want to

I'm in!

Starlight

Re: Great Books of M-e, or Where are the authors of M-e?

I think fortunately that we need not worry about religion overly much, unless you choose to tackle, say, the first historian of Doriath after Daeron, or something very original in all senses of the word.

Time frame can be quite extended. Six months?

As for Carandir and Amandil, ok, sue me, I may have to do that. Amandil scares me, though. Carandir seems more up my alley.

Anyhow, others? What about you, Isabeau? Your Haradric author of "The Garden of Love" might need a voice. What about the scribes and authors who kept the Chamber of Mazarbul in Khazad-dûm filled? (Hey, female Dwarf alert! Good place for them!) Who wrote the tragic tale of Aldarion and Erendis with such frankness? Who among Gondor's (or Arnor's) rulers would you bill as the Marcus Aurelius of M-e? Was Celeborn a literary soul? Was there a "Dear Abby" of the Shire or a tradition of such a person? (I'm thinking of one of Bilbo's relations, but I can't remember her name right now.)